6 US soldiers in mountain warfare training hit by avalanche

CAMBRIDGE, Vt. (AP) — Six U.S. soldiers in mountain warfare training have been hit by an avalanche and injured at one of Vermont’s tallest peaks.

The Vermont National Guard said the soldiers were evacuated Wednesday afternoon shortly after the avalanche hit.

The training was taking place in Easy Gully in Smugglers Notch, a narrow pass at the edge of Mount Mansfield.

Five soldiers have been taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. There is no word on their conditions. The sixth soldier returned to duty.

It was the second avalanche reported in the Mount Mansfield area in recent days.

Heavy snow has fallen in the area in recent weeks.

The U.S. Army’s Mountain Warfare school is run by the Vermont National Guard.